mummer

[ muhm-er ]

/ ˈmʌm ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mummer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who wears a mask or fantastic costume while merrymaking or taking part in a pantomime, especially at Christmas and other festive seasons.

an actor, especially a pantomimist.

Nearby words

mumbletypeg, mumbo jumbo, mumchance, mumetal, mumford, mummer, mummerset, mummery, mummichog, mummification, mummify

Origin of mummer

First recorded in 1400–50, mummer is from the late Middle English word mommer. See mum², -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mummer

And these stars––see, on the ensign––mummer and my cousin both worked them.
The Seiners|James B. (James Brendan) Connolly
He had at hand a surer ladder to fame than the mummer's art.
The Man Shakespeare|Frank Harris
They ought at least, to give us a moorish dance, or some other mummer!
Notre-Dame de Paris|Victor Hugo
This hearty, eighteenth-century mummer wears a full-bottomed grey wig, and is dressed in a brown coat richly frogged with gold.
Hogarth|C. Lewis Hind

"Not a mummer, but a body, a corpse—dried up and withered," explained the Captain.
A Drake by George!|John Trevena

British Dictionary definitions for mummer

mummer

/ (ˈmʌmə) /

noun

one of a group of masked performers in folk play or mime

a mime artist

jocular, or derogatory an actor

Word Origin for mummer

C15: from Old French momeur, from momer to mime; related to momon mask

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mummer

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of mummer

Examples from the Web for mummer

British Dictionary definitions for mummer

mummer

noun

Word Origin for mummer